Collagen vs Gelatin: What’s the Difference?

Is collagen the same as gelatin? Do they do the same thing? What are they good for?

Collagen and gelatin are very similar, but they do have a few differences. They have the exact same amino acids and are both very easily absorbed which means your body is getting that same nutrients which ever form you consume. Both collagen and gelatin are made from bones, skin and connective tissue of animals.

To understand gelatin, we need to start with collagen. Collagen is the primary protein in connective tissue, skin and bones. You have more collagen in your body than any other type of protein—it makes up 25-35% of the whole-body protein content! Lack of collagen can cause a wide range of problems as you age, from wrinkles to decreased joint elasticity.

Gelatin is simply the cooked form of collagen, and it’s one of the best and most convenient ways to ingest the important amino acids in collagen. Collagen hydrolysate (sometimes called hydrolyzed collagen) is gelatin that’s been processed more intensively to break up the proteins into smaller bits.

The major differences between these two protein sources is how you like to consume them. While typical gelatin is only soluble in hot liquids, both BalanceDocs Gelatin and collagen will dissolve in hot or cold mixtures, making them ideal to add to any beverage, smoothie, soup, sauce and even baked goods.

Most products are flavorless and are great for adding to recipes for an extra boost of protein.

Benefits of collagen & gelatin:

Improves the elasticity of skin, reduces roughness and aging.

Balance gut hormones.

Support healing of intestinal lining.

Improves arthritis, general bone and joint health.

“Pain stiffness of joints, reduced movement of joints and physical disabilities are the major clinical manifestations in osteoarthritis (OA). The study carried out where known subjects having knee OA demonstrated that both pork collagen peptides and beef collagen peptides are effective nutritional supplement to improve the over- all physical discomforts resulting from the OA (Kumar et al. 2015).”

After cooking a roast or meat dish (especially if it contained a bone or joint) save the juices at the bottom. Then reuse as part of the base of soups, boost flavor of sautéed veggies or freeze it for later use. This meat “jello” that forms when chilled is rich in gelatin and nutrients that can support joints, hair, skin and nails.

Better Baked Goods:

Add a scoop or two of collagen peptides to your next batch of baked goods. The powder is flavorless and adds a punch of protein to off set the sugar rush.

No Bake Energy Bites:

Ingredients:

1/3 C honey

1/4 C pumpkin

1/4 C creamy nut butter (peanut or almond)

2 C old-fashioned oats

1/4 C ground flaxseeds

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 scoops vanilla flavored collagen peptides.

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in large bowl, chill batter in fridge for 30 mins.

Then role into bite size balls and place in fridge for 30 mins to set.
Recipe from Vital Proteins

Gelatin can be used to make homemade jello or fruits strips. Try this recipe from paleoleap.com.

Homemade Fruit Gummies:

Serves: 4

Prep time: 25 mins + 1 hr chill

Cook: 10 mins

Macros: 6g Protein, 8 g Carbs

*great Pre-/Post-workout

Ingredients:

1 large mango, peeled cut into chunks

1/3 c lime juice

1/3 c water

4 Tsp gelatin powder

Directions:

Add mango chunks, lime juice and water to a saucepan and place over medium heat.

Stir occasionally until liquid barely starts to simmer.

Blend the mixture using a blender or food processor until smooth.

Let mix sit in and uncovered bowl of your blending or food processor for about 10 mins in order for it to cool down before adding the gelatin.

Add in the gelatin powder and blend again until fully incorporated.

Pour the gummy mixture into a glade dish and place in fridge for about 1 hour.

When the gummies are set, you can cut then into small squares or use any cookie cutter to create fun shapes.

While both collagen and gelatin can be beneficial for you, all supplements are not created equal. All-natural BalanceDocs Gelatin has been shown to help support healthy weight loss, HGH production, and improve symptoms of PMS, sleep, mood, hair and nail growth.